Umbrella folding assembly

ABSTRACT

An umbrella folding assembly comprising a hollow support post, and a tubular actuating member slidably mounted for substantially vertical movement within the support post. The ribs for supporting the umbrella cover are pivotally connected at their upper, inner ends to the tubular actuating member. A coil spring disposed within the tubular actuating member serves to bias it in an upward direction for the purpose of effecting folding of the umbrella, and a plurality of detent members are pivotally mounted on the support post and are urged by spring members into a locking position within apertures of the support post and tubular actuating member so as to prevent the upward movement of the actuating member under the force of the spring. Folding of the umbrella can be manually effected by merely pivoting the detent members out of the locking position. Automatic folding of the umbrella is effected if it is subjected to winds of high velocity which cause the umbrella cover and ribs to bow upwardly, by providing a sleeve member that is slidably mounted on the support post beneath the detent members, the sleeve member being connected to the umbrella actuating rods which are connected at the other end to the ribs for the cover. Upon upward movement of the ribs, the sleeve member is moved upwardly into engagement with the detent members to move them out of the locking position, thereby resulting in upward movement of the tubular actuating member under the force of the spring and folding of the umbrella.

United States Patent Houston [451 Aug. 1,1972

[54] UMBRELLA FOLDING ASSEMBLY [72] Inventor: Jack W. Houston, 24 Malvern Lane,

Long Island, N.Y. 11790 22 Filed: Jan. 27, 1971 21 Appl.No.: 110,231

52 vs. C] "135/22, 135/25 [51] Int. Cl. ..A45b 25/14 [58] Field of Search ..l35/22, 23, 24, 25, 20, 2, 135/20 M, 46 M [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 601,096 3/1898 l-lager 1 35/22 3,419,026 12/1968 Evans, Jr. et al .;.135/20 R 3,489,157 1/1970 Pearlstine ..135/20 Primary Examiner-Kenneth Downey Attorney-Burton L. Lilling, James E. Siegel, Henry A. Marzullo, Jr. and Frank P. Presta [5 7] ABSTRACT An umbrella folding assembly comprising a hollow support post, and a tubular actuating member slidably mounted for substantially vertical movement within the support post. The ribs for supporting the umbrella cover are pivotally connected at their upper, inner ends to the tubular actuating member. A coil spring disposed within the tubular actuating member serves to bias it in an upward direction for the purpose of effecting folding of the umbrella, and a plurality of detent members are pivotally mounted on the support post and are urged by spring members into a locking position within apertures of-the support post and tubular actuating member so as to prevent the upward movement of the actuating member under the force of the spring. Folding of the umbrella can be manually effected by merely pivoting the detent members out of the locking position. Automatic folding of the umbrel la is effected if it is subjected to winds of high velocity which cause the umbrella cover and ribs to bow upwardly, by providing a sleeve member thatis slidably mounted on the support post beneath the detent members, the sleeve member being connected to the umbrella actuating rods which are connected at the other end to the ribs for the cover. Upon upward movement of the ribs, the sleeve member is moved upwardly into engagement with the detent members to move them out of the locking position, thereby resulting in up- ,ward movement of the tubular actuating member under the force of the spring and folding of the umbrella.

9 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures Ill PAIENTEDM 1 512 SHEET 1 [IF 2 INVENTOR JACK w HOUSTON W, flm M,

ZMML s ATTORNEYS UMBRELLA FOLDING ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to an umbrella folding assembly and, more particularly, to such a folding assembly wherein folding of the umbrella can be easily accomplished manually, or automatically if the umbrella is subjected to upward forces resulting from winds of high velocity or the like.

One of the greatest disadvantages of the foldable lawn-type umbrellas heretofore used has been the requirement that these umbrellas be manually closed or folded in the event of an oncoming storm or the like so as to prevent damage to the umbrella cover and actuating ribs and rods from the upward forces on the umbrella resulting from winds of high velocity. If such umbrellas are not closed prior to the occurrence of high velocity winds, the cover can be severely damaged by the upward forces resulting from such winds, and the actuating mechanism can also be severely damaged to a point of being too costly to repair. Thus, users of such umbrellas have been required to close the umbrellas when leaving their home or other place of use, or when going to bed in the evening, for the purpose of avoiding damage to the umbrella, should a storm arise during their absence or during their sleeping hours. Also if a storm arises suddenly while the user is present at the place of use, the user may be required to run outdoors in severe rain for the purpose of closing the umbrella to prevent such damage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It will be readily seen, therefore, that a need has arisen for a foldable lawn-type umbrella assembly which is relatively simple in v construction, can be economically manufactured, and can function to effect rapid folding of the umbrella either manually or automatically in the event it is subjected to upward forces resulting from high velocity winds accompanying a storm or the like.

The present invention fulfills this need by providing an umbrella folding assembly which functions to effect rapid folding of the umbrella under manual actuation or under automatic actuation resulting from the force of high winds accompanying a storm or the like. The folding assembly comprises a hollow support post in which a tubular actuating member is slidably mounted for substantially vertical movement. The tubular actuating member is urged upwardly into a position wherein the umbrella is folded by a helical spring disposed within the actuating member and in engagement with an end portion thereof. One or more detent members are pivotally mounted on the support post and are urged by spring members into a locking position wherein they are disposed in apertures of the support post and the tubular actuating member to prevent upward movement of the actuating member under the force of the spring. The radial ribs supporting the umbrella cover are pivotally connected at their upper, inner ends to the upper portion of the tubular actuating member. An actuating rod is pivotally connected at its upper end to each of the ribs and at its lower end to a sleeve that is slidably mounted for limited movement on a portion of the support post beneath the detent members.

Folding of the umbrella can be manually accomplished by merely pivoting the detent members to a release position wherein they are moved out of the apertures in the tubular actuating member, with the result that the spring within the tubular actuating member serves to urge it upwardly which, in turn, results in inward movement of the cover ribs and actuating rods to fold the umbrella. Folding of the umbrella can also be effected automatically if it is subjected to upward forces caused by winds of high velocity or the like. When subjected to such upward forces, the umbrella cover and ribs bow upwardly to move the actuating rods upwardly which in turn effect upward movement of the sleeve on the support post into engagement with'the detent members to cam them to therelease position. Thereafter, the spring will urge the tubular actuating member to is upper position wherein the umbrella is folded.

When it is desired to open the folded umbrella, a crank mechanism or any other suitable means may be provided on the support post and is connected to one end of an actuating cable which is connected at its other end to the upper end portion of the tubular actuating member. Rotation of the crank mechanism through a rotatable handle or the like will thus result in a downward movement of the tubular actuating member against the force of the spring. This downward movement continues until the apertures in the tubular V actuating member are aligned with the apertures in the support post, at which time the detent members are urged into their locked position within the actuating member apertures by the spring members. The umbrella is then releasably retained in its fully open position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevational view, with parts broken away and parts in section, of an umbrella folding assembly constructed in accordance with the principles of the present ,invention, showing the umbrella assembly in the fully open condition;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, showing the umbrella assembly in a partially closed condition;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged elevational view, with parts shown in section and parts broken away, of a portion of the umbrella folding assembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, showing the umbrella folding assembly in the partially closed condition of FIG. 2; and

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are sectional views taken substantially along lines 5-5, 66, and 7-7, respectively, of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT ribs 12, and at their lower ends are pivotally connected to a sleeve member 22 that is mounted for limited sliding movement on the center support post 18.

It will be seen, therefore, that when the actuating member 16 is disposed in its inner position with respect to the support post 18, as shown in FIG. 1, the umbrella is in a fully open condition, and when the actuating member 16 is moved upwardly out of the support post 18, in the manner shown in FIG. 2, the supporting ribs 12 and actuating rods 20 are pivoted inwardly toward the support post 18 to close the umbrella.

The umbrella cover 24 may be of any suitable construction within the scope of this invention, and may be anchored to the supporting ribs 12 by any suitable type of retaining members or clips 25. In the event that the inner end of the umbrella cover 24 isspaced from the actuating member 16, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a cap member 26 may be secured to the upper end of the actuating member 16 for the purpose of covering the space between the cover 24 and the actuating member 16.

As shown in FIGS. 2 through 4, the actuating member 16 is urged in an upward direction by a helical coil spring 28 .disposed within the actuating member 16. The upper end of the spring is in engagement with the lower end portion of the collar 14 secured to the upper end of the actuating member 16, and the lower end of the spring 28 is in engagement with a plug member 30 that is mounted within and secured to the center support post 18. The spring 28 serves to urge the actuating member 16 upwardly to a position wherein it is fully extended out of the support post 18 and the umbrella is in a fully closed condition.

The umbrella of the present invention may be opened by moving the actuating member 16 downwardly into the support post 18 against a force of the spring 28, and this can be accomplished in any suitable or conventional manner within the scope of this invention. As an illustrative example, a cable 32 may besecured at its upper end to an eye member 34 fixed to the lower end portion of the collar 14 secured to the upper end of the actuating member 16. The cable 32 extends downwardly within the actuating member 16 and the support post 18, through a cental aperture 36 in the plug member 30, and is secured at its lower end to a crank mechanism of any suitable type having a manually operable handle 38 rotatably supported on the post 18. Rotation of the handle 38, therefore, results in tensioning of the cable 32 and a downward force on the actuating member 16 to move it downwardly into the support post 18 against the force of the spring 28.

For the purpose of retaining the actuating member 16 within the support post 18 so that the umbrella can be maintained in its fully open condition, one or more detent members 40 are movably mounted on the support post 18 and are adapted to enter one or more apertures 42 in the actuating member 16 to prevent outward and upward movement of the actuating member 16 relative to the support post 18 under the force of the spring 28. The detent members 40 are pivotally connected by pins 44 to a pair of curved brackets 46 that are secured to the support post 18 and to the plug member 30 in any suitable manner, such as by a plurality of threaded bolts 48, as shown in FIGS. and 6. The detent members 40 are disposed within longitudinal openings 50 in the support post 18 and the upper ends of the detent members 40 are urged inwardly toward the actuating member 16 by springs 52 that have their outer ends in engagement with the lower ends of the detent members 40 and their inner ends disposed within slots 54in the plug member 30. The springs 52, therefore, serve to maintain the detent members 40 in the locking positions shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 wherein the detent members 40 are disposed within the openings 42 in the actuating member 16 to prevent it from being moved upwardly out of the support post 18 under the force of the spring 28.

Within the scope of this invention, the detent members 40 may be of any suitable construction, and may be mounted on the post 18 in any suitable manner, other than that disclosed herein.

If it is desired to close the umbrella, the lower ends of the detent members 40 may be manually pivoted inwardly against the force of the springs 52 to thus move the upper ends of the detent members out of the openings 42 in the actuating member 16. Thereafter, the spring 28 will move the actuating member 16 upwardly out of the support post l8 to its fully extended position wherein the support ribs 12 and actuating rods 20 are pivoted inwardly toward the support post 18, in the manner shown in FIG. 2, to close the umbrella.

With the novel umbrella folding assembly of the lower ends of the actuating rods 20 are pivotally connected, is slidably mounted on the support post 18 beneath the detent members 40. The sliding movement of the sleeve member 22 on the support post 18 is limited by a bolt 58 which extends through aligned apertures 60 in the post 18. 'An annular stop member 62 is disposed on the support post 18 beneath the sleeve member 22 and is secured to the post 18 by a bolt 64. A pair of springs 66 are secured to the bolts 58 and 64 for the purpose of urging the sleeve member 22 to the lower position shown in FIG. 3 wherein it is out of engagement with the cam surfaces 56 on the detent members 40.

When the open umbrella is subjected to an upward force resulting from a high gust of wind or the like, the

surfaces 56 on the detent members 40. As shown in FIG. 4, this upward movement of the sleeve 22 serves to pivot the upper ends of the detent members 40 out of the openings 42 in the actuating member 16, thereby releasing the actuating member and enabling the spring 28 to move the actuating member 16 upwardly out of the support post 18 to close the umbrella.

The umbrella of the present invention, therefore, will be automatically closed in the event that it is subjected to upward forces created by winds of high velocity or the like which might tend to damage the umbrella if it were left in an open condition.

I claim: 1. A folding assembly for an umbrella, comprising: a hollow support post, I

a tubular actuating member slidably mounted within said post for longitudinal movement therein between an outer position and an inner position,

spring means within said post for urging said actuating member longitudinally outwardly relative to said post to said outer position,

locking means mounted on said post for movement between a locking position wherein it engages said actuating member to retain it in said inner position against the force of said spring means and a release position wherein it is out of engagement with said actuating member to enable said actuating member to be moved by said spring means to said outer position,

means for urging said locking means to said locking position,

a plurality of radially extending umbrella ribs pivotally connected at their inner ends to said actuating member adjacent the upper end thereof,

a plurality of rods pivotally connected at their outer ends to said ribs,

whereby when said locking means is in said release position and said actuating member is moved to its outer position, said ribs and rods are pivoted inwardly toward said post to assume an umbrellaclosed position, and when said actuating member is moved to its inner position, said ribs and rods are pivoted outwardly away from said post to assume an umbrella-open position, and

a sleeve member slidably mounted on said post and disposed beneath said locking means, said rods being pivotally connected at their inner ends to said sleeve member, and said sleeve member and locking means being so constructed that when said sleeve member is moved upwardly as a result of upward wind forces on the umbrella, said sleeve member engages said locking means and moves it to said release position, thereby effecting automatic closing of the umbrella.

2. The folding assembly of claim 1 wherein said spring means comprises a helical spring.

3. The folding assembly of claim 1 wherein said locking means comprises a detent member movably mounted on said post, and said actuating member comprises an opening adapted to receive said detent member when said actuating member is in said inner position and said detent member is in said locking positron.

4. The folding assembly of claim 1 wherein said detent member is pivotally mounted on said post and comprises a cam surface at its lower end portion adapted to be engaged by said sleeve member when it is moved upwardly to effect movement of said detent member to said release position.

5 The folding assembly of claim 1 wherein means are provided to normally urge said sleeve member in a downward direction out of engagement with said locking means.

6. The folding assembly of claim 3 wherein means are provided to normally urge said sleeve member in a downward direction out of engagement with said locking means wherein stop means are provided on said post to limit the downward movement of said sleeve e folding assembly of claim 1 wherein means are connected to said actuating member for effecting movement thereof from said outer to said inner position.

8. The folding assembly of claim 7 wherein said movement-effecting means comprises a cable and crank assembly.

' 9. In an umbrella having a frame movable between open and closed positions, and a folding assembly for effecting movement of said frame to said open and closed positions, the improvement comprising:

a hollow support post,

an elongated actuating member connected to said frame and slidably mounted within said post for longitudinal movement therein between an outer position wherein said frame is closed and an inner position wherein said frame is open,

spring means for urging said actuating member longitudinally outwardly relative to said post to said outer position,

locking means mounted on said post for movement between a locking position wherein it engages said actuating member to retain it in said innerposition against the force of said spring means and a release position wherein it is out of engagement with said actuating member to enable said actuating member to be moved by said spring means to said outer position,

means for urging said locking means to said locking position,

whereby when said locking means is in said release position and said actuating member is moved to its outer position, said umbrella frame is closed, and when said actuating member is moved to its inner position, said umbrella frame is open, and

release means movably mounted on said post and connected to said frame, said release means being movable on said post when said umbrella frame is bowed upwardly by wind forces to engage said locking means and move it to said release position,

thereby effecting closing of said umbrella frame. 

1. A folding assembly for an umbrella, comprising: a hollow support post, a tubular actuating member slidably mounted within said post for longitudinal movement therein between an outer position and an inner position, spring means within said post for urging said actuating member longitudinally outwardly relative to said post to said outer position, locking means mounted on said post for movement between a locking position wherein it engages said actuating member to retain it in said inner position against the force of said spring means and a release position wherein it is out of engagement with said actuating member to enable said actuating member to be moved by said spring means to said outer position, means for urging said locking means to said locking position, a plurality of radially extending umbrella ribs pivotally connected at their inner ends to said actuating member adjacent the upper end thereof, a plurality of rods pivotally connected at their outeR ends to said ribs, whereby when said locking means is in said release position and said actuating member is moved to its outer position, said ribs and rods are pivoted inwardly toward said post to assume an umbrella-closed position, and when said actuating member is moved to its inner position, said ribs and rods are pivoted outwardly away from said post to assume an umbrella-open position, and a sleeve member slidably mounted on said post and disposed beneath said locking means, said rods being pivotally connected at their inner ends to said sleeve member, and said sleeve member and locking means being so constructed that when said sleeve member is moved upwardly as a result of upward wind forces on the umbrella, said sleeve member engages said locking means and moves it to said release position, thereby effecting automatic closing of the umbrella.
 2. The folding assembly of claim 1 wherein said spring means comprises a helical spring.
 3. The folding assembly of claim 1 wherein said locking means comprises a detent member movably mounted on said post, and said actuating member comprises an opening adapted to receive said detent member when said actuating member is in said inner position and said detent member is in said locking position.
 4. The folding assembly of claim 1 wherein said detent member is pivotally mounted on said post and comprises a cam surface at its lower end portion adapted to be engaged by said sleeve member when it is moved upwardly to effect movement of said detent member to said release position.
 5. The folding assembly of claim 1 wherein means are provided to normally urge said sleeve member in a downward direction out of engagement with said locking means.
 6. The folding assembly of claim 3 wherein means are provided to normally urge said sleeve member in a downward direction out of engagement with said locking means wherein stop means are provided on said post to limit the downward movement of said sleeve member.
 7. The folding assembly of claim 1 wherein means are connected to said actuating member for effecting movement thereof from said outer to said inner position.
 8. The folding assembly of claim 7 wherein said movement-effecting means comprises a cable and crank assembly.
 9. In an umbrella having a frame movable between open and closed positions, and a folding assembly for effecting movement of said frame to said open and closed positions, the improvement comprising: a hollow support post, an elongated actuating member connected to said frame and slidably mounted within said post for longitudinal movement therein between an outer position wherein said frame is closed and an inner position wherein said frame is open, spring means for urging said actuating member longitudinally outwardly relative to said post to said outer position, locking means mounted on said post for movement between a locking position wherein it engages said actuating member to retain it in said inner position against the force of said spring means and a release position wherein it is out of engagement with said actuating member to enable said actuating member to be moved by said spring means to said outer position, means for urging said locking means to said locking position, whereby when said locking means is in said release position and said actuating member is moved to its outer position, said umbrella frame is closed, and when said actuating member is moved to its inner position, said umbrella frame is open, and release means movably mounted on said post and connected to said frame, said release means being movable on said post when said umbrella frame is bowed upwardly by wind forces to engage said locking means and move it to said release position, thereby effecting closing of said umbrella frame. 